Summer Mishaps
by Viperdae
Summary: Summer is a time for change, for new beginnings, for relationships to evolve and for bees to pester a certain Irken. Written for ZaDr week on tumblr.
1. BEEEES

He breathed in and out, slowly, eyes closed, enjoying the cool breeze that wafted through the window. Eventually Dib opened his eyes. Sunlight was shining into his room, and he squinted, the light and the lack of glasses on his face making it difficult to see. His computer was glowing faintly on his desk to the left, papers and worn clothes were piled on his floor, dark blue blankets laying on top of him, and to his right-

"Zim!" He shouted, jumping back from him, hand scrabbling for his glasses on the bedside table. There was no mistaking the green and magenta blur on his bed beside the window.

Dib slipped his glasses on, ready to block an attack. Technically they were friends, but Zim could be unpredictable. Had the alien decided to abandon their truce and renew his world domination plans?

Zim frowned at the human from his spot on the bed. He had his arms wrapped around Dib's spare pillow and his eyes were half-open, like he'd just been sleeping. His tiny form was curled up into a ball. He looked defenseless and strangely cute. He hadn't bothered with a disguise.

"Silence, human filth," grumbled Zim. "I am attempting the activity known as 'sleep', surely even your big head knows quietness is required."

"People usually do that in their own house, Zim," Dib rolled his eyes. "I'm sure it's a lot quieter there anyway."

The Irken grimaced then abruptly shifted so he was facing the wall instead of Dib.

"Do not question Zim! Your puny earth-brain cannot understand my genius!"

Dib bit back a groan of annoyance. He glanced at his watch on the bedside table, 5:13 AM. If he could get Zim to leave, he'd be able to catch a few more hours of sleep before he had to head off for his morning class at university.

He rolled over, resting his forearms on either side of Zim's head, pinning the alien under him.

"Tell me why you can't sleep at home," he said sternly, meeting Zim's widened eyes with a serious expression.

The alien shifted, looking around the room nervously before sighing.

"My base has been… invaded," he admitted softly.

Dib's eyebrows shot up in surprise. "Invaded? By who? Aliens? The FBI? Have they found you out? Are you safe?"

"It's worse than that!" Zim spat out. "It's the horrible, cunning, evil creatures! It's the BEES!"

Dib stared at him.

"The… bees?" He said.

"Yes, the BEES!" Said Zim, nearly shouting now. "The filthy, disgusting earth-insects have infiltrated my base! They've set up nests in the walls! I hear the buzzing all day and all night, the horrible buzzing!"

"Oh," said Dib. "Right." Their faces were very close, he leaned back a little.

Dib watched Zim for another moment, the Irken's eyes were wide and he was breathing heavily from the outburst.

He heaved a sigh. "If you promise to behave, I'll let you stay."

"Yes! Zim will behave!"

"And you have to follow my rules. No complaining."

"Fine, fine," Zim flapped his hand.

Dib leaned back, watching the Irken carefully. Zim, in turn, watched him with some interest. Dib abruptly realized he was wearing only a pair of boxers.

He was tempted to grab a t-shirt, but he suddenly had a better idea.

"Rule one, Zim. Underwear only in my bed," he grinned.

"What?!" Zim spluttered.

Dib shrugged. "Or you could go home. Your choice."

Zim growled, and to Dib's surprise, began stripping off his uniform. He tossed his gloves away, pulled off a short-sleeved and long-sleeved pink tops, and kicked off his knee-high boots. The Irken crossed his arms over his chest as he leaned back into the pillow again, glaring at Dib.

The human felt his face heating up as he took in Zim's small, slender form. The freckles on the Irken's face continued down his body. He looked so delicate, so fragile. Dib couldn't resist adding, "And the pants? I said underwear-only."

Zim's glare intensified. "Irkens do not wear 'underwear'."

"Alright," Dib lowered himself to the bed again, biting his lip to contain a grin, trying not to stare too blatantly.

After another minute, Dib had yet another brilliant idea.

"Rule two, I like to cuddle," he reached over and roughly pulled Zim against his chest, earning the most undignified squawk from the alien.

"Your doom will be painful," hissed the Irken, but his cheeks were flushed an attractive blue colour, and he squirmed for only a moment before leaning his head against the human's strong chest.

"Mmm," murmured Dib, giving him a small squeeze, relishing the feeling of Zim's smooth, soft skin and the steady thump-thump of alien heartbeat.


	2. Summer Date

"How is it?"

"Terrible, like all human things," replied Zim, taking another large bite from his bubblegum flavoured ice-cream cone.

Dib smiled and nibbled at his pistachio cone as he looked around the ice cream parlour. Today was quite warm, and every time the shop's door opened a breeze of hot air would gust across the room. The two of them had secured a spot near the corner, a little ways away from the other tables. They earned a few odd looks; a tall and pale man wearing a trench-coat in this heat with a very small green-skinned companion in a bright pink sundress, but both were used to it by now.

"So," said Zim, his tongue darting out to lick his cone while he waited for Dib to turn back to him. "What disgusting human activity are we doing after this?"

Dib arched an eyebrow, a smirk tugging at the corners of his mouth. "I'll tell you when you admit you actually like some human things."

"Filthy lies," mumbled Zim, mouth full.

Dib laughed and Zim tried to glare at him, but the human's laughter was infectious and he had to hold back his own. It _was_ fun spending time with the Dib, not that he'd ever admit it out loud.

Then the shop window exploded.

Glass flew through the room and the sound of the blast erupted through the air.

Zim and Dib both reacted immediately, grabbing the other's hand and ducking under the table.

There was complete silence for a moment. It almost seemed like it was just a freak accident. But a second later, two green-skinned creatures with long black antenna approached the windows, their faces impassive.

Dib glanced at Zim, and seeing the frightened look in his wide eyes, knew instantly they were there for the small Irken.

The Irkens lifted glowing guns, scanning the room methodically. They locked onto Zim.

Zim's pak shot out four lasers. The Irken duo fired. Zim fired. Dib yanked Zim out of harm's way.

Dib blinked a few times, the aftereffects of the blasts sending lights dancing across his vision. Zim was lying on top of him, pain etched on his face. Pink blood dripped from a wound on his leg.

The Irkens were pushing aside debris that blocked their path, advancing on the odd pair. Dib scrambled to hit feet, pulling out his own gun he'd made from stolen Irken tech.

"You said no weapons at outings," grumbled Zim from the floor.

"Yeah, well, you have weapons attached to your spine. That agreement was never going to be honoured by either of us." He fired, the Irkens ducked out of the way and a fallen beam of wood exploded, sending splinters flying in every direction.

Humans were hiding under tables, behind debris, whimpering in fear. Dib didn't spare them a second glance; Zim was in danger here, not them.

Zim's pak lasers glowed, readying another shot. Blinding light filled Dib's vision again as all three Irkens in the shop fired at the same time.

He heard Zim's screech and feared the worst. He glanced at his companion, relieved to see the only new damage was two of his four pak lasers destroyed, the ends smoking.

One of the hostile Irken's gun had turned black, damaged by Zim's shot. Dib fired at the other, hitting the creature's arm, sending their weapon flying across the room.

The taller of the mysterious Irken pair barked an order to the shorter one. Dib was too distracted to translate it, the blood pounding in his ears drowning everything else out.

"Dib, watch o-!" Zim's panicked shout was cut short as an Irken smashed into his small frame.

Dib had no time to help as the other Irken collided with him. Despite being a few feet smaller, the creature was strong, and the human struggled to stay upright.

"What the hell do you want?" He barked at the creature, muscles straining as he tried to shove it back.

They didn't reply, their face was as neutral as before. The alien had its fingers wrapped Dib's wrist, slowly twisting the human's arm until it felt like it would break.

Dib shot forward, smashing his shoulder against the Irken's face, causing it to stumble a few steps backwards.

He felt a surge of confidence at the victory, but the feeling was short-lived. Zim let out the most horrible ear-piercing shriek, a sound Dib had never heard anything like before.

The Irken in combat with Zim had a hand Zim's antenna, yanking on it.

Dib lurched forward to tackle the creature, but the other had recovered and slammed into him again, sending the human crashing to the floor.

Dib was livid. He jerked his hand up to grab the Irken's antenna but it reacted too quickly, curling their fingers around Dib's hand and squeezing hard enough he felt like bones were being crushed. The Irken barked another order, and the one fighting Zim released Zim's antenna and turned towards Dib.

Together, the two Irkens grasped the human's shoulders, and slammed his head into the floor. Then they did it again. And again. And again.

His whole world was pain. For a moment he couldn't see anything, couldn't feel anything. He was only dimly aware of being released.

He took several shaking breaths, brief images flickering as he blinked repeatedly, trying to clear his head.

One of them was holding Zim still, the small Irken's arms immobilized in the stronger creature's grip.

The other produced a small disc from somewhere, holding it carefully in their hands.

Zim shook his head, his body shaking, useless broken laser arms twisting through the air.

The Irken with the disc said something, a small smirk on their lips as they advanced on Zim.

Dib felt the world tilting, and shut his eyes against the sudden wave of vertigo. When he opened them, the two other Irkens were gone, leaving Zim crumpled on the floor.

Fear rose in his throat as he shakily picked himself off the floor and crawled over to Zim.

He placed a gentle hand on Zim's arm. It was ice cold.

"Zim?" He could barely breathe.

Green eyelids shot open, the small body stiffened and his eyes raced as he looked around the room.

"They're gone, Zim. Are you…?" He didn't know what to say, of course Zim wasn't okay.

"Dib…" Zim's face had turned pale, his eyes still wide. "Virus," he choked.

Dib swallowed the lump in his throat. He wrapped his arms around the Irken, his friend, his lifelong obsession, Zim.

"I'll fix this," he murmured against the alien's uninjured antennae. "I promise."


	3. Stargazing

Dib wrapped his arm around the Irken when he stumbled again, holding him close and supporting his weight. Zim grumbled under his breath, but didn't jerk away.

"This was a horrible idea, human," Zim hissed, reaching up to grasp the human's arm, his claws digging into skin.

"I know," he said soothingly.

Today was the first time in weeks they'd been outside. Dib had rushed Zim back to his base after the incident at the ice cream parlour and with the help of Zim's computer, had stopped the virus from spreading further. But he couldn't reverse the damage that had been done. The pak was still anchored in Zim's spine, but it no longer shone with pink light. It looked dark and dead.

Dib wasn't entirely sure how Zim was still alive, but he was thankful.

Without a functioning pak, Zim's healing was slow. The injuries he'd sustained in the fight, particularly the blast to his leg, were still making it difficult for him to move around. He hadn't been enthusiastic when Dib suggested they go for a walk to the park and look at the stars, but eventually gave in to Dib's pestering.

The night air was crisp and the streets deserted. Zim wasn't wearing his disguise, he couldn't stand the feeling of anything pressing tightly against his damaged antennae. Instead he wore one of Dib's old hoodies, which looked comically oversized on the little alien.

Dib was half-carrying Zim by the time they reached the park and collapsed on a bench.

They sat in silence for a bit. Dib took deep breathes of the cool air, relieved to be out of the stuffy, claustrophobic depths of Zim's base.

He felt Zim shiver beside him.

"C'mere," he said, gently pulling the Irken onto his lap.

Zim leaned his head against Dib's chest, but his functioning antennae was pressed close to his head, a clear sign he wasn't happy.

"The stars are beautiful tonight, you usually can't see this many," Dib rubbed circles against his companion's back as he spoke.

"Hmph," Zim narrowed his eyes at the dark sky. "This is nothing compared to what you can see from Irk. This is a pointless activity."

Dib sighed. "Then... do you want to talk about what happened?"

Zim stiffened in his arms. The Irken grit his teeth and clenched his fists.

Several tense moments passed.

"Dib. Do you see that constellation over there, the trapezoid and the backwards five?" Zim pointed.

He squinted. "I see it. Humans call it Draco."

"There's a similar set of stars near Irk, except the ones at the top are a collection of planets. I trained there as a soldier. My favourite planet was lush and green," Zim's voice wobbled a little. "I miss..."

The Irken turned away from Dib and rubbed his eyes.

"Zim..." Dib hugged the alien tightly. "You could still visit it again, can't you?"

Zim took a shuddering breath. "What do you think? After what happened? Those Irkens didn't decide to attack me on their own - they were ordered by the Tallest. Ordered to eliminate a d-defective Irken." He tried to push away from Dib, but the human just held him tighter.

"We'll go somewhere else, then. We'll find planets no one's ever visited before, planets even more beautiful than any other you've seen."

"You'd want to go with me? Even though you know I'm… defective?" Zim's voice trembled.

"Don't listen to any of that, Zim. You're not defective. Sure you're, um, different, but that's why you're better than them. That's why you're not some cog in a machine like they are. That's why you have me and Gir and Minimoose. We care about you."

"I… I have the Dib?"

The human smiled, "Of course, always."

Zim's expression abruptly shifted to a delighted grin and he cackled. "So you admit defeat! Zim is your master now! I have conquered you and therefor conquered this stink-planet!"

"That's not what I meant!" He tried to sound firm, but his heart was fluttering as he sight of Zim being happy again. "You're unbelievable, space-boy."

"Yes, yes, your puny human mind cannot believe my amazingness!" The Irken stretched and leaned back against the human again, looking up at the sky. "Now, tell Zim more about the pathetic constellations in the sky, and rub my back again, Dib-slave!"

Dib rolled his eyes, but was still smiling. "As you wish, master."


	4. Sudden Tension

"Zim..." Dib rubbed his bleary eyes, standing at the door to his basement lab. Despite the human's valiant efforts to get the Irken's base bee-free, the few that remained had Zim refusing to go back. So he had been staying at the Membrane household and had been obsessively trying to fix his pak.

"You've got to be exhausted, Zim. Come upstairs and lie down with me for a bit," Dib tried.

"No need!" Replied Zim, wiping a few beads of sweat from his forehead. Even in the basement it was uncomfortably hot. "Irkens don't need anywhere as much sleep as you pitiful humans, Zim is fine!"

Dib came down the stairs to stand close to the alien.

"Maybe you didn't before, but with your pak issues..."

Zim scoffed, "Stop your annoying concerns, I have more important things to deal with."

Dib knelt down and wrapped his arms around the little Irken, pulling Zim against his body and away from the table with the open pak.

"Dib-filth!" Zim growled.

"C'mon Zim," he reached a hand up to gently rub the alien's skull at the base of his antenna, a place he'd come to learn relaxed the Irken quite a bit.

Zim leaned into the touches, his eyes squeezing shut, his mouth slightly open. It still felt so strange to be touched. A part of him chimed in that it was wrong and unnatural, but he'd come to crave the human's soft, deliberate touches. It made his stomach flip in a strange way and sent waves of warmth through his body.

"Take a break," Dib murmered into Zim's antenna, his voice low and commanding. "You'll feel much better afterwards."

"Mhmm." Zim felt breathless. He leaned further back against the human. Then he suddenly pushed harshly away.

"Zim?"

"Ugh, you're covered in sweat, Dib-beast!" Zim shuddered and started brushing himself off, disgust on his face.

"So are you!" Dib complained, annoyed by the abrupt change in mood.

"Go away, you're distracting me." Zim turned back to his pak, squaring his shoulders.

"I'm trying to help! Stop pretending you're not exhausted, you've got dark circles under your eyes and you haven't even made any progress on your pak in days!"

Zim shot a glare at the human. "Silence! Zim did not ask for your opinion!"

"Damnit Zim, I'm just trying to help! I've missed over a month of classes because of you, I've been worrying about you, why can't you just listen to me for once?"

"ZIM DOESN'T NEED YOUR WORRYING! ZIM IS FINE! GO AWAY!"

"Just-!" Dib grabbed the Irken's shoulder. Zim whirled around and shoved him.

"GO!" Zim screeched, pale pink tears gathering in the corner of his eyes, his expression furious.

"... Fine." The human got to his feet and left, closing the basement door behind him.


	5. Making Up

"Next on _Mysterious Mysteries_ , we investigate a small town's repeated sightings of a fearsome vampire duck! Residents have been reporting strange quacking during nighttime hours, and beak-shaped imprints on their neck. Stay tuned for exclusive footage after a message from our sponsors."

Dib got himself comfortable on the sofa, settling in for a long night of Mysterious Mysteries reruns. The house was quiet otherwise. Gaz had left the other day for a gaming tournament in California, his father was attending a scientific conference in Switzerland, and Zim hadn't left the basement lab. He was still worried about the little alien, but Zim was so stubborn, he didn't think there was anything he could do.

He was halfway through the sixth episode of the show marathon, almost completely zoned out, when something caught the corner of his eye.

Dib nearly jumped when he realized Zim was standing beside the couch, watching him. When had he arrived?

"Zim? Uh… have you made any progress?"

The Irken didn't react for several seconds. The circles under his eyes were dark and his antenna hung limply. His clothes, which had been borrowed from Dib, were disheveled.

Zim opened his mouth then closed it. Then tears sprung to his eyes and began to fall.

Dib was up in a flash, arms wrapped around the small alien, hugging him tightly. Sobs rocked his body and he clung to the human, burying his face against a strong chest.

Dib wordlessly picked him up and brought him upstairs, climbing into bed with the Irken still clinging to him like his life depended on it. It wasn't long before Zim calmed down, and soon enough they were both asleep.

When he woke, he was looking into sparkling ruby eyes. He smiled, and was rewarded by a small smile from his companion.

"How do you feel?" Dib asked, his voice little more than a whisper, not wanting to break the tranquil mood.

"Zim is better now," replied the alien, his voice just as quiet. "I'm… I'm sorry about-"

"It's okay." All of Dib's anger and annoyance had melted away as he slept. After everything Zim had gone through the past few weeks, he was willing to forgive and move on.

Dib lifted a hand to caress the Irken's cheek. Zim's skin was so soft, so flawless, so unlike a human's. The Irken pressed slightly into the touch, his eyes slipping shut.

The rest had done Zim well. His dark under-eye circles had faded and his skin glowed. Dib was struck by his otherworldly beauty.

Dib edged closer, his lips ghosting against the Irken's. Zim opened his eyes and his cheeks flushed with colour. Dib pressed their lips together.

It was slightly awkward at first. Neither Dib nor Zim had much experience with such things. Despite that, it was electrifying. The feel of the Irken's smooth, supple lips against Dib's rough, chapped ones. The quick little gasps of air the alien took, keeping their mouths as close as possible.

Dib wrapped his arms around Zim, his hands slipping under the Irken's t-shirt and caressing his skin. Zim dug his claws into the human's hair and they deepened the kiss.

Eventually they parted to catch their breaths. Zim's eyes were wide, full of wonder. Dib recovered first and leaned in to press kisses along the Irken's jawline and against his neck, causing Zim to arch against him and gasp.

"Dib… Dib…" Zim moaned softly and Dib felt like his whole world had fallen away to be replaced by one thing; the creature in his arms.

Dib could feel the Irken's heartbeat pounding, could inhale the sweet, warm and inviting aroma of his skin. He felt intoxicated, overwhelmed in the best way possible. He moved a hand to wrap around Zim's undamaged antennae, stroking the delicate stalk with the tips of his fingers.

Zim twitched when his antenna was touched, then dug his claws more sharply against the human, squeezing his eyes shut against the sudden wave of ecstasy that gripped him.

Dib's heart fluttered at the sight of Zim's rapturous expression. He pressed his lips to the Irken's once more, savouring the feeling, and they kissed again with fervor.

Nothing else had ever felt more right than this moment.


	6. Love Your Pet Day

Dib was idly running his fingers along Zim's antenna, their limbs entwined on the sofa.

"Dib?"

"Yeah?"

"Where's Gir?"

"Uhh," Dib paused his ministrations as he tried to recall the last time he saw the little robot. "When we were at your base and you were… indisposed, I called a beekeeper to remove as many bees as possible from the house level. Last I saw, Gir was running after him making buzzing noises."

Zim lifted himself up so his forearms were resting against the human's chest. His ruby eyes were narrowed in annoyance.

"You let some horrible human in my base? A human who commands armies of bees? And they stole Gir!? What were you thinking, human?"

"Woah, Zim, calm down!" Dib bit back a laugh and pulled the Irken down to place a kiss between his antennas. "A beekeeper doesn't command the bees, they give them homes and look after them and harvest their honey. And he didn't steal Gir. Gir was just following the bees for whatever reason. Sorry I let him go, but I was more worried about you at the time."

Zim huffed in annoyance, though he seemed a little calmer. "I still don't trust this keeper of bees. We must go rescue Gir from him."

"Alright, let's go. You think you can handle visiting an apiary?"

The alien pushed himself upright again so he was looking down at the human. "I am an elite Irken, of course I can handle a few pathetic earth bees!"

"If you say so, Zim," came Dib's skeptical reply. "Come on, let's get in the car."

They drove out of the city and into the countryside, asphalt and grey buildings fading to open fields and small pockets of woodlands. The sun was high in the sky and a refreshing wind blew through the car. Zim was wearing a floppy wide-brimmed hat, a large pair of sunglasses, a coral t-shirt and shorts. Even Dib had ditched his trench-coat in favour of a tee and shorts. Summer was truly here.

Dib pulled into the parking area, the beehives just visible in the distance across the field.

"Dib-slave?"

"Mmm?"

"Your master demands transportation across the field."

"…" He looked at Zim, who had his arms crossed and an expectant expression on his face. Dib felt a small temptation to pick him up and fling him across the field, but he relented. He knelt down for Zim to climb onto his back, and started his way across the field.

Gir was easy to spot when they arrived. If the buzzing hadn't given him away, the sight of his bright yellow and black bee costume surely would have, as the robot leapt around the beehives with boundless energy.

"Where did he get that costume?" Zim asked.

"No idea."

Dib crouched to allow the alien to dismount. Zim immediately barked out an order to the robot.

"Gir! Get over here!"

"Master!" Gir closed the distance between them and immediately started hugging Zim.

Dib expected Zim to push the robot away, but to his surprise, the Irken returned the hug, his eyes squeezing shut for a moment.

"Don't run off like that again, Gir," Zim ordered sternly, still hugging the robot tightly.

"Yes Master!" Replied Gir, his eyes glowing red for a moment. They ended the embrace and Gir bounced around happily. "Hey Master, have you met my new friends? There's Sally and Mark and Jiggles and Alex and-" He went on naming names as bees started swirling around them, like they'd been called over.

"Dib-human…!" Zim took a step closer to Dib, grabbing his t-shirt with a clawed hand, looking nervously at the insects.

"It's okay," Dib assured. "They're friendly, you don't have to worry about them."

"They're horrible," hissed Zim. "They're- ah! Dib!" A fat bumblebee lazily started buzzing around Zim, inspecting his bright t-shirt and his light green arms.

"Just stay still, Zim, it won't hurt you. It probably just thinks you're a flower."

Zim froze, his eyes wide with fear as the bee continued to examine him, finally landing on his top.

Meanwhile, Dib was trying not to laugh, knowing how much it would infuriate his companion.

"Hey! There's Sally!" Shrieked Gir, his blue eyes focusing in on the bee. "Hiiii Sally!" The robot reached for the bee and Zim almost jumped in alarm.

"No, Gir! You have to stay still!" Zim's voice was high with panic.

But Gir didn't pay any attention to that. He gently, precisely grabbed the bee in his hands, lifting it away from Zim. His blue eyes shone through the costume as he made a friendly buzzing sound and carefully caressed the tiny creature's fuzzy body.

Then he ate it.

"My friends taste delicious!" Gir shouted.

"Okay…" Dib wasn't sure how to react to that. "Do you want to go back home, Zim?"

"Yes, very much," Zim replied.

Dib picked up Zim and they made their way across the field again, this time with a costumed robot. They got into the car and set off, with Gir bouncing between the front seats and backseats, singing and buzzing.

"Why did you want him back again?" Sighed Dib. He could feel a headache coming on already.

"He's my minion, human. You wouldn't understand," Zim smiled a little as Gir paused his activity to sit on the Irken's lap.

"I brought my best friends!" Gir exclaimed, suddenly ripping off his costume and opening his head. A swarm of angry bumblebees spilled out and filled the vehicle.

Zim's screams could be heard miles away.


	7. Summer Vacation

"Tell me you're not serious, human. _This_ is our vacation?"

Zim's eyes were narrowed in disgust as he took in the crowds. Today was particularly hot, and the waterpark was nearly at capacity. Swarms of humans milled around in various stages of undress, carting around bags of towels and clothes, overpriced junk food being sold around every corner. Kids ran around everyone's feet, shrieking loudly.

A child, not looking where she was going, bumped into Zim, nearly causing the alien to go crashing into the concrete pathway. He hissed at her, but she had already disappeared into the crowd.

"I didn't expect it to be quite so busy…" Dib admitted. "But it might still be fun. You made sure to thoroughly cover yourself in paste, right?"

"I did," Zim confirmed. "But I was expecting something more… not awful."

"Just give it a try, I'm sure you'll have more fun when we get started." He grabbed Zim's hand in his and they made their way through the crowd towards the sitting area where they could drop their stuff. They passed the main pool, a huge basin that filled with waves every fifteen minutes.

"Maaatt!" Screamed a child in a pool donut to their friend. "Did you just wee in the pool?"

"Nooo!" The other child screamed back. Then, "Okay, maaaybe!"

Zim stopped dead to stare at Dib. His expression said it all.

"Jeez Zim, it's just something that happens at public pools. They pump so much chlorine into everything here, it's clean enough." He tried to continue on, but Zim wouldn't budge.

"I am not going to touch a single drop of this disgusting park water," Zim hissed. "Take me back to the base."

"Zim-"

"NOW!"

Dib heaved an exasperated sigh, not that he could really blame the Irken. He'd forgotten how gross public parks were. He just wished they'd come to this conclusion before he'd purchased the entry tickets.

They turned around and started on their way home. Dib glanced at the Irken every so often, who was leaning against the car window as he drove. He felt guilty his idea had turned out so poorly, and now all they could do was go home and boil in the summer heat.

Zim hopped out of the car when they reached his base. "Bring the supplies, Dib-slave!" He called as he made his way into the building.

He grabbed their bags and followed, slightly confused. Zim was waiting at the elevator in the kitchen, tapping his foot impatiently. The Irken grabbed him and pulled him inside and they were spat out upstairs, in the ship hangar.

"I like where this is going," Dib grinned.

Zim puffed out his chest, a smirk on his features. "I will show you what a real summer vacation is, silly human. Now get in."

They squeezed into the ship, Zim sitting on Dib's lap, the human's arms wrapped around his torso.

Then they were off, Earth fading from view as Zim's voot sped through space. Dib leaned back in his seat, enjoying the view and the closeness they shared.

Dib was so mesmerized at the sight of swirling galaxies and bright stars he barely noticed the time passing. It wasn't until Zim suddenly sat up tall and yelled 'aha!' that he shifted and realized his muscles were stiff and cramped.

"What is it?" He asked, peering over Zim. They were rapidly approaching a planet and Zim ignored him as he initiated the landing process.

"This planet's atmosphere should be fine for humans," Zim said, though he didn't sound entirely convinced. Nonetheless he popped open the glass windshield and hopped out.

Dib half-expected to start gasping for air, or to be poisoned by toxic gases not harmful to Irkens, but instead the breath he took was clean and had an unusual but agreeable taste to it.

He climbed out after Zim, taking in the scenery before him. It was clear why Zim had selected this planet. It was covered in bodies of crystal-clear fluid (water? Or something else, wondered Dib), the ground below him was a fine dark sand and the nearby sun was just close enough to bathe them in a toasty but not unpleasant heat. It looked like paradise.

Zim was watching him expectantly, waiting for his reaction. He pulled the little alien into a hug, squeezing him tightly.

"This is perfect. Thank you for bringing me here," he said.

"Yes, yes, Zim is amazing," replied the Irken, very pleased with himself.

Dib slipped off his sandals and pulled off his t-shirt, eager to get into the water. Zim removed his sundress, revealing a bright yellow one-piece bathing suit underneath.

They walked over to the water's edge and Dib dipped a toe in, relieved to find the liquid seemed perfectly harmless and the temperature refreshing. He quickly strode in further, until the water reached his chest and dove in, relishing in the feeling of the pure liquid. He glanced around for Zim and was surprised to see him still close to the water's edge, sitting in the shallow water and watching the human.

"What are you doing over there?" Called Dib. "Come on over, Zim, it feels great!"

"Ehh," Zim narrowed his eyes at the deeper water, biting his lip.

Dib stood up and walked back to the Irken, kneeling down beside him.

"What's wrong?" He asked gently. "Are you feeling okay? Is this water safe for Irkens?"

"Zim is fine," came the dismissive reply. "It's just…"

"Just…?"

"I'm very skilled, you know. I can do so much more than you, human. Zim is amazing and talented and athletic and-"

"And you can't swim, can you?" Dib cut in.

Zim looked away, lowering his head a little.

"Don't worry," Dib planted a soft kiss on the Irken's head. "I'll teach you. I'm sure someone as smart as you can pick it up fast."

Zim smiled and he turned back to face the human, leaning in to press their lips together. "Very well, you will teach Zim how to swim."

"Mmm."

They spent several minutes kissing then Dib gathered the alien into his arms and led them into deeper water.

It didn't take terribly long until Zim was able to swim on his own. Dib heaped praise on him and the Irken soaked it all up.

When Zim got tired of swimming, he grabbed onto Dib and wrapped his arms around his shoulders, resting his face against the human's shoulder. They stayed like that for a while, enjoying the contact, the sunshine and the calm waters.

"I love you," Dib murmured against long antenna.

"I know," replied the alien.

" _Zim_."

The alien snickered, then pressed closer to his human, his mouth against his companion's ear. "I love you too, Dib," he whispered.

A/N: That's all, folks! Thank you to everyone who followed, favourited, liked, reblogged, and _especially_ those who reviewed! It all means a lot to me.


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